It is oftentimes necessary to convey articles between different locations, such as, for example, moving articles from one location to another in connection with various steps in manufacturing, storage and/or use of articles, or containers.
Particular difficulty has been encountered, however, in conveying lightweight unstable articles, such as plastic containers or bottles, from one location to another location due, at least in part, to the tendency of such articles to easily tip during movement.
Where such articles have a neck ring, it is known that such articles can be engaged and supported by elongated guides or flanges engaging the bottom side of the neck ring with movement of the articles along the guides being urged by air directed at the articles (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,284,370 (Danler et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,724,035 (Mann et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,214 (Aidlin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,636 (Aidlin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,028,174 (Karass), U.S. Pat. No. 5,100,265 (Mirkin), U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,153 (Aidlin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,919 (Smith et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,097 (McCoy et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,299,889 (Langenbeck) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,552 (Simkowski)) or with movement of the articles being urged by movement of the flanges (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,937,998 (Priero)).
It is also known that sections of fixed guides engaging the neck rings of the articles can be curved to cause a deviation, or turn, in the article flow path (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,552 (Simkowski)), and that fixed guides engaging the neck rings of articles can be flexed to provide height adjustment of the article flow path (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,630,679 (Simkowski et al.)).
It is likewise also known that unstable articles being air conveyed along a path established by fixed position guides can be diverted to auxiliary, or other, paths through the use of diverters (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,822,214 (Aidlin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 4,938,636 (Aidlin et al.), U.S. Pat. No. 5,246,097 (McCoy et al.), and U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,552 (Simkowski)), and that displaceable arms can be pivoted to divert articles between single and multiple lines (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,567,091 (Johnson et al.) and EPO Publication 0 668 223 (Steinle) where air is utilized to urge the articles through the displaceable arm, U.S. Pat. No. 3,822,006 (Shuttleworth) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,174,430 (Ebira) where belts are utilized to convey the articles through the displaceable arm, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,842,818 (Simkowski) where gripping fingers are utilized to convey the articles through the displaceable arm).
An unstable article conveying device having a mechanical drive that includes a driven chain with flanges thereon is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,279,729 (Simkowski) and this mechanical drive was included in U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,992 (Simkowski) directed to an unstable article conveying device with a diverter. The invention set forth herein includes improvements to U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,992, at least in part and with respect to at least some applications of the invention, and U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,279,729 and 6,374,992 are hereby included herein by reference.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,992 teaches a device having guides with movable article engaging flanges as article actuators to urge the unstable articles along a first path, a plurality of second paths, and a third path extending between the first path and the plurality of second paths, and a diverter having a flexible bar connected with a hinged support arm to flex the bar upon movement of the third path from a straight third article path to different ones of the plural second paths positioned in an arc adjacent to the diverter path.